Sheik's Lullaby
by splfguy
Summary: After conquering the Water Temple and setting out on the next leg of his journey Link stops to rest for the night. Unfortunately sleep proves hard to come by as thoughts of the temple's horrors plague his thoughts. Luckily for Link he has a comrade in arms to give him advice and comfort.


Link's head and muscles ached and his damp body shivered in the cold evening air. He got as close to the camp fire as he could, only able to shiver and wait for the flames to do their work. Although he had left the temple underneath Lake Hylia hours ago and had changed into his regular green tunic he still felt as if he had just left the water. His hours inside the underwater temple had soaked him through so thoroughly that part of him feared that he may never be truly dry again.

The air of his small camp site was filled with the crackling of his fire, scattered sounds of local wildlife, and the seemingly ever present sound of the wind shaking the trees. Although the area around the lake was much calmer than when he had gone down into the temple he could not truthfully say he felt at peace.

With a heavy sigh the young adventurer reminded himself that he was likely far from the only one in Hyrule that felt this way at the moment. Since the evil Gannondorf's overthrow of the royal family and rise to power chaos had befallen every corner of the land in some way, shape, or form. Link could only begin to imagine just how many people out there were as alert and on edge as he was. How many people were threatened by the monsters brought to the land by Gannondorf? How many people were fighting for their very lives right now?

Sleep would be difficult to come across tonight, as it was most nights since he left the Temple of Time those many weeks ago to a world unrecognizable from the one he had once known.

Link closed his eyes and leaned back against a tree, ready to search for what rest he could. But even as he became convinced that he was safe for the time being he ran headlong into an entirely difficult obstacle to his sleep. The events of the past day.

Every time his mind could start to wander or shut down for sleep it would be jolted back to alertness by thoughts of what he had done and seen inside of the temple. Images of monsters flashed before his mind's eye, the sound of their menacing howls echoing through the halls of the water filled labyrinth rang in his ears as if her were still down there. Memories of the pulsing panic from his near hour long struggle with that demonic shadow of himself and the fear he had felt when he had first laid eyes upon the great Aquatic Amoeba at the end of the temple shook his mind. And the lingering horror he had felt all day from having been in the unnatural and instinctively terrifying situation of being underwater for so long that made every breath he took even now feel unnatural and tense.

Sleep would be difficult indeed, if not entirely impossible. Link was split between his desperation for sleep and rest and the feeling that his attempts were futile and that his time would be better spent traveling to his next destination. After all if he wasn't strong enough to ignore his fears and get some rest he might as well put himself to use and continue his quest. As he debated his two options his mind was brought to a sudden sharp attention when a new sound reached his ear.

Something had just stepped in the leaves nearby, and whatever it was was far closer than it should be. The young swordsman silently cursed himself as a rash of questions shot through his mind. How could he have let something get so close to him without noticing? What kind of monster or bandit could it be? How many of them were there? How long had it been there? How quickly was it approaching?

Without wasting another second Link sprung up off the ground and to his feet. In the same movement his sword hand flew to his back to grasp the hilt of his weapon and pull it clear of the scabbard. Spinning around on the ball of his foot he faced his assailant and brought the Master Sword in front of him to block any incoming attacks.

Only for his sword to drop and his stance to relax when he actually saw what lay in front of him.

"It's good to see that your senses have not dulled in your travels hero." The familiar yet mysterious Sheikah warrior said with a hint of smugness. "Although I had hoped that you would detect me sooner. You never know when someone like me might bear you ill will."

"Most things that want to kill me don't have Sheikah stealth training." Link shot back, "And I'm perfectly capable of watching my own back." Despite the annoyance Link felt at the warrior's attitude and vague way of relaying information he could not deny a sudden rush of comfort at his presence. He wasn't quite sure if he could call the other man a friend but he was at the very least an ally which made his company a luxury.

Link gestured towards a spot on the opposite side of the fire for Sheik to sit but he was already moving, either having figured an invitation was coming or deciding that one was not necessary.

"I may be exceptionally skilled but it never hurts to be prepared for anything. The King of Evil's agents are as numerous as they are devious. Hyrule would do well not to have you ambushed in the middle of the night."

Link tried not to roll his eyes at his comrade's advice as he returned to his spot next to the fire. If he were that helpless he would hardly have been able to make it this far. Sheik meant well and so it would hardly help him to alienate one of his few allies in the fight against Gannondorf.

"Not to complain but is there a specific reason you're here? Surely you didn't just search me out in the middle of the night just to test my alertness."

"Do I need a reason to grace the hero with my presence or is my company that unwelcome?" Sheik shot back with an edge of sarcasm.

"The entire time I've known you you haven't exactly been one for social visits. Normally you just tell me where to go next or how to get into a temple. Doesn't exactly leave much space for chit chat."

"The current state of the land is what leaves little room for chit chat young Hero. You know well the haste which our mission demands." The sheikah warrior paused as he made himself comfortable, suppressing a yawn before continuing. "But we all must rest eventually. All the courage and skill in Hyrule is of little use if you are too exhausted to use them."

"And so you sought me out?"

"There is safety in numbers, and I had a hunch you were close. I knew you were unlikely to have traveled far since our encounter outside the Water Temple."

Link tried to suppress his reaction but unfortunately the mere mention of that accursed Temple so soon had him tensing up. At least he managed to stop himself from reaching for his sword. Knowing what he did of the Sheikah sitting across from him he guessed that he could probably pick up on his sudden discomfort even if his eyes were closed. Hoping to head off any uncomfortable questions Link spoke up before Sheik could.

"If you're here to rest then you won't mind if I cut the conversation short here then." Link made a show of stretching out and sitting back against the tree before closing his eyes hoping to shut off any conversation then and there. He felt a twinge of guilt for his rude response but pushed the feeling aside.

Better Sheik think Link rude than think him weak. Sheik was counting on Link to defeat Gannondorf as much as anybody else. And he was fighting just has hard if not harder than Link was. The last thing he needed was to think Link too fearful to be capable of carrying the burden of the Hero.

Fortunately for Link whatever Sheik thought of his sudden coldness he did not say anything. He could only hope that his counterpart was too tired to notice or care and simply needed his own sleep as much as Link did.

Unfortunately for Link the added comfort of a comrade in arms resting nearby did little to bring him closer to sleep. The fire continued to crack and the wind continued to howl and Link heard every bit of it as his brain clung to consciousness. Despite this Link remained still with his eyes forced shut, not wanting to give any signs of restlessness until his sheikah companion was asleep himself and hoping that pretending to be asleep would eventually give way to genuine rest.

Link wasn't sure how much time passed like this. In his exhausted and distressed state it could have been a handful of minutes or it could have been hours. He half expected to feel the warmth of the daybreak sun wash over him at any moment. When he finally gave up, he did so with a heavy sigh. He blearily opened his eyes only to jump in shock at the sight that greeted him.

Sheik was also wide awake. Not only that but he was staring at Link from across the fire. He could only imagine the look on the warrior's face that hid behind the scaf.

Link cursed himself. Had he really been so clearly uncomfortable when Sheik mentioned the Water Temple? Or had he been more restless than he had realized in his attempt to sleep and kept his comrade up because of it? How much time had even passed while he tried to sleep? While he tried to think of something to say to break the tension Sheik beat him to it.

"Trouble sleeping Hero?"

Link swallowed hard. Sheik had cut right to the point. If he had beat around the bush at all then perhaps that could have been used to redirect the conversation or at least give him time to think of denials. But now he had no choice but to stumble into this battle unprepared.

"A bit restless perhaps. But a single bad night's sleep is nothing to be overly concerned about." Link replied, hoping to brush off the line of questioning before it got too deep.

"Why do I get the feeling that's not the first time you've told yourself that?"

Link paused, stumbling over his own thoughts. Whatever Sheikah training entailed it made Sheik far too observant for comfort. He tried to remain focused on the conversation at hand but another part of his mind sought out an answer to the question. Had he been saying that a lot lately? He wasn't sure about those exact words but as his mind thought back he could recall several times of feeling the same sentiment, always paired with restless dreams of some terrible monster or perilous situation.

"What are you getting at Sheik?" He shot back, hoping he did not sound too defensive. But he could only control the tone of his voice so much. Why did the Sheikah warrior have to pry? So what if he wasn't sleeping as much as he should? He could still handle himself well enough! He could still wield the Master Sword with skill and precision, defeat any monster large or small, and navigate any labyrinth" he was thrown into. He was the Hero chosen by the goddesses and he could take care of himself.

"I am merely concerned for you Link."

"Well you need not be." Link felt a cold edge slipping into his voice. Again faced with the choice of being a bit of an asshole or letting Sheik lose faith in hm. As unpleasant as it was to actually do, the choice was easy. "Now either you can keep asking questions and we can both get a poor night's rest or you can do what you came here to do and sleep ."

WIthout waiting for a response Link stood from his resting spot and moved to another side of the tree so that he faced away from his companion. Of course, this also meant he was further away from the campfire and he quickly missed the warmth from the flames.

But if he wasn't going to be getting any sleep tonight anyways then what did it matter? At least now Sheik would get some rest himself as opposed to bothering him.

Silence fell upon the campsite once again. Wind still shook the trees, the fire still cracked, and animals in the distance still howled and called. But now they all seemed quieter somehow, as if the entire world were being heard through a brick wall or from a great distance. Time ticked by painfully and as the cold began to set in in so too did the regret and doubt.

Perhaps Link had not needed to be quite so dismissive. He almost certainly could have handled that better. He may have dodged Sheik's questions but all it had earned him was a long night of uncomfortable silence and possibly a tense conversation come morning. When the sound of feet stepping on leaves and grass reached his ears he figured that Sheik was probably going to just leave. Not that Link could blame the man.

Link was surprised when he heard and felt Sheik take a seat on the other side of the tree, where he sat himself moments before. He wondered what his Sheikah counterpart might be up to but he did not have to wait long to find out.

"You tensed up earlier when I merely mentioned the Temple underneath Lake Hylia." Link's stomach dropped. He did not want to have this conversation right now, or ever preferably ever. But as Sheik went on he could think of nothing to interrupt the man. He could only sit and listen as if he were watching a monster bring a sword down on him to end his life.

"Now that I think about it you have changed much from the man who left the Temple of Time just a handful of weeks ago." Link could hear the sadness in Shiek;s voice and could only imagine the disappointment that his comrade must have felt. To work and fight as hard as Sheik is, only to have one of your most important allies shake in the face of their own duties. Link wondered how he might feel if the Master Sword wavered or gave up.

"I should have known… I should have foreseen this coming. You may be tall and strong but you are still barely more than a boy. I've struggled enough with my own burdens that I did not truly think about what this battle must be like for you."

"Wait… what?" Link could not stop himself from sputtering out in confusion. Had he actually heard Sheik correctly? How could Sheik possibly be struggling ? He was perhaps the most level headed person he had known other than the Great Deku Tree. He didn't think he had ever seen the Sheikah warrior flench from danger before.

How could he possibly be struggling the same way Link was?

"I remember the first time I had to fight one of Gannondorf's monsters. It was years ago and I hadn't even finished my training. I must have frozen up out of fear at least a dozen times during that fight." Sheik paused and Link glanced over his shoulder to look at the man. His eyes were closed as if they were playing back the memories of that day. When SHeik continued he opened his eyes and dropped his head back against the tree.

"Even after I defeated the beast I was tense for the next few days. I could hardly eat and sleep seemed to be nearly impossible." The warrior let out a heavy sigh, "I'm not sure what I would have done were it not for my Sheikah master."

"What did your Master say? How did you get rid of your fear?" Link tried to keep his voice from sounding too desperate. Perhaps his Sheikah counterpart was taking pity on him. Maybe SHeik could relay whatever wisdom his own master had passed down to him and Link could carry his own burdens from here forward.

That was the hope anyways, Unfortunately it was a hope which was dashed almost as soon as it had formed.

"I didn't." Sheik said before turning his own head to look at Link for the first time since he had moved to sit next to him. Link's confusion must have been evident on his face because Sheik continued his explanation.

"I have been fighting this war against Gannondorf and his monsters for years now. I've somewhat gotten used to the fear but things are still far from easy."

Link could feel his stomach drop at the news. Knowing that he would continue to have all this fear hanging around his neck only made the weight of it feel that much greater. His shoulders dropped and he let out a deep sigh of frustration.

Silence returned to the duo. Link could tell the Sheik was sympathetic but he could not make up his mind about how he felt about the revelation. On one hand, knowing that he was not the only one who struggled with fear was a relief that he did not even realize he needed. On the other hand, the knowledge that there was no cure or trick to rid himself of the constant trepidation and dread made him feel like he had already lost some major battles.

Several minutes later it was Link's turn to break the silence.

"What do you do?" His voice was quiet as if he were carefully walking into a dark room. "How do you keep going then? If you can't get rid of the fear then… then how do you get it out of your head?"

Sheik's response didn't come right away. For a moment Link feared that the other man may not have an answer. When the answer did come it was so quiet that he almost didn't hear it over the night wind.

"Music… music helps me sometimes."

Link paused for a moment, fearing that perhaps he was getting too personal. But something about Sheik's voice told him that it was his turn to push the conversation on.

"Music?" He said, a gentle nudge to push his comrade on. His suspicion was correct as that all it took to get the other man talking again, even if he wasn't quite comfortable.

"Yes… Sometimes when things get too hard... especially at night when I need to sleep." A sigh escaped the Sheikah warrior and Link could sense the man next to him trying to relax. "Music can help me rest. When I'm lucky I can play my harp but most of the time I just have to hum but… but it still helps."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Link muttered as he mulled it over. Now that he thought about it he always felt a bit more at ease when he was playing his ocarina.

At the thought of the instrument his hand sind into the pouch at his belt and pulled it out without even thinking. He held it in front of him and looked it over as he debated playing it right here and now. It was a question that was answered for him soon enough.

"The song your Kokiri friend taught you, perhaps you should play it." Link turned to see that his companion had gotten to his knees and turned to face him. "The memories of home and childhood have always calmed me."

Link silently nodded before bringing the Ocarina to his lips. His fingers found the holes and he began to blow out the first few notes of the song Saria had taught him back in the forest. The upbeat tune washed over him like a warm bath. His muscles lost tension he hadn't even realized he was holding and his mind soon followed suit. Every note of the short song carried away his anxiety and fear bit by bit.

As the last notes sang out through the trees link fell back against the tree and let out a contented sigh. "You were right. That did help quite a bit. Thank you." The sound of rustling leaves reached his ears as Sheik sat back down.

"I'm glad I could help hero. You need not carry your burden alone. If I can help then I will. I know you would do the same."

Link returned his attention to the instrument in his hand and the brand new appreciation he had for it. To think that he held the key to his own relief all this time. Perhaps now he could finally rest. The prospect of sleep felt closer now than it had in days but he knew that there was one more thing that would get him even closer.

"There's another song I know… That I learned before I drew the Master Sword." Link closed his eyes as he pictured the memory. "I learned it when I first met Princess Zelda."

"You and the Princess were close?" Sheik prompted. There was something in the warrior's voice that sounded strange but Link pushed the thought off. He was probably just imagining it.

"It feels silly to say so. I mean I only knew her for such a short time before everything else happened." Link scratched the back of his head, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed at his confession. He continued anyways.

"But when I first left the Kokiri forest the whole world felt so strange and foreign. I remember realizing that I wasn't like anybody else back in my village, but being among other people like me didn't quite feel right either."

"But the Princess was different?" Sheik asked.

"Yes she was." Link opened his eyes and looked back over to Sheik. "I had no idea what to expect when meeting royalty but she accepted me right away. It was like she was so happy to meet me and eager to just be my friend. It helped a lot."

Sheik made a noise as if to start talking before stopping himself. Instead he merely motioned for Link to play and so he obliged.

Zelda's lullaby was slower and gentler. The soothing melody calmed him like a soft evening rain. His eyes drifted close once again as each note made every part of his body feel heavier and sleepier. When the last few notes of the song played out his arms dropped to his waist and he could feel sleep fast approaching.

"Thanks again Sheik." Link said with a deep yawn. "I can't thank you enough."

He expected a response but was given silence instead.

"Sheik? Sheik?" Link spoke up as he tiredly turned his head to look over at his friend. Across from him sat Sheik, his head slumped over his shoulder and eyes shut tight. Link chuckled softly at the sight of the fierce warrior resting so peacefully. For a moment he considered crossing the campsite and using the opportunity to finally find out what was hidden behind the mysterious sheikah's mask.

He quickly decided against it however. He knew it wouldn't be right to betray his friend's trust like that. And so he merely readjusted himself to get comfortable and closed his eyes one last time for the night.

"Good night Sheik." He muttered softly as he surrendered himself to sleep.


End file.
